SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Feb 1: Senior Residents of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH), Dhanbad, have announced a mass leave starting Monday, February 3, in protest against the non-payment of their salaries since October 2024.
Repeated Reminders Ignored
In a notice addressed to the SNMMCH principal and superintendent, the Senior Residents stated that despite continuous reminders to the concerned authorities over the past four months, their salaries remain unpaid.
They mentioned that only verbal assurances were given, but no action was taken even as of January 31. As a result, they have decided to withdraw from OPD and emergency services from Monday.
With a shortage of faculty members, the hospital primarily depends on Senior Residents for its daily operations. Their mass leave is expected to severely impact healthcare services at SNMMCH.
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Unfulfilled Assurances from Health Department
The protesting doctors highlighted that they had personally met Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of Health, Ajay Kumar Singh, who had assured them that all pending salaries would be cleared by the end of January. However, his assurance was not implemented.
Notably, on January 17, ACS Health Ajay Kumar Singh, along with Health Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari, had inspected SNMMCH and acknowledged the salary issue. He had assured the Senior Residents that their payment was under his cognizance and would be released by the end of the month. Despite his directive, the health department failed to process the payment.
SNMMCH Administration Responds
When contacted, SNMMCH Superintendent and Principal-in-Charge Dr. S.K. Chourasia confirmed receiving the letter from Senior Residents and assured that their salary issue would be resolved soon.
“The file has already been processed, and we expect the Senior Residents to receive their salaries shortly,” said Dr. Chourasia. The assurance came after former SNMMCH Principal Dr. K.K. Lal retired on January 31, handing over charge to Dr. Chourasia.
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Financial Struggles and Disparity in Payments
The protesting doctors expressed frustration over their financial struggles, stating that four months without salary had made survival in Dhanbad extremely difficult. They also pointed out an unfair disparity, noting that non-clinical department tutors have received their payments on time, while their own salaries remain withheld.
Moreover, Senior Residents at four other medical colleges in the state—MGMMCH, PJMCH, SBMCH, and MMCH—have already been paid, whereas those at SNMMCH continue to face delays.
Support from Junior Doctors’ Network
The IMA Junior Doctors Network (JDN) has expressed serious concern over the non-payment of salaries.
JDN Chairman Dr. Sushil Kumar and General Secretary Dr. Raghvendra Kumar have urged the authorities to resolve the issue immediately and prevent further disruption of healthcare services at SNMMCH.
